Earlier this week my wife and I celebrated our 64th wedding anniversary. As I was designing and writing an Anniversary card for her, the phrases “marriage bliss” and “blissful marriage” came to mind as appropriate phrases to summarize our many memories of wedded life.
Since I had not heard these phrases being used for many years, I became curious as to what they were describing and opened my two dictionaries for information. This is what I discovered; “Bliss – perfect happiness; great joy; a state of spiritual blessedness. “Bliss – serene happiness; the ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy; a sense of great delight or happiness. “Blissful – extremely happy; full of joy.
I was surprised and somewhat awed by these definitions and how much they described what I was feeling, as well as describing the joy that Jesus’ promised us. Listen to Jesus words as John recorded them in his Gospel; “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”(Jn. 15:9-11).
When Jesus is invited into our life and experiences, he comes to enable us to experience fullness of joy in whatever the circumstance or situation – whether it is failure, disappointment, or trouble. Christ’s fervent desire for us is “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
And then I wondered could “blissful” also be a more appropriate understanding of Jesus’ use of the word “blessed” in his sermon beatitudes? (Mt. 5:3-12).
Gentlemen, do you remember that day, that moment when your bride walked down the aisle and you stepped forward and took her hand in marriage? Ladies, what were you feeling as he did so?
I remember that day and moment with joyous excitement and anticipation. But what happened in that moment of committing our love for one another, was significantly enlarged and enriched during the 64 years of joy and sadness, laughter and tears, good health and painful illnesses and losses. Today I recall these many memories and gratefully thank God that our love commitment to one another produced in us the joyous fruit of “marriage bliss.”
However, such pondering leads me to question if I can rightly summarize my journey with God as a “blissful marriage” relationship since making my baptismal vows of love for him? Can you?
Whether it be my relationship with God or with my wife, the joy of “marriage bliss” is supernatural in its source and essence in both relationships. Perfect and complete joy is God’s gift of being in relationship with him. Yes, this joy is his diamond-studded wedding band on our finger. Are you wearing it?
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“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – July 12, 2023
Ray M. Geigley
Healing Rays of Righteousness 
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